Mike Stidham

Trainer Mike Stidham joins this week's TDN Writers' Room fresh off a win with Godolphin-owned 4-year-old Mystic Guide in the GIII Razorback H. Stidham recaps the victory and talks on his relationship with Godolphin, the demise of Arlington Park and more.

Multiple stakes winner and graded stakes-placed Saguaro Row (Union Rags--Charlie Girl, by Indian Charlie) has been added to Fasig-Tipton's Kentucky Winter Mixed Sale. Catalogued as Hip 675, Saguaro Row will be offered as a racing/broodmare prospect by Blake-Albina Thoroughbred Services, agent. A 4 3/4-length debut winner at two, she captured the Pumpkin Pie S. and the Interborough S. at four and five and also finished second to GISW Spiced Perfection (Smiling Tiger) in the GIII Go For Wand H. Most recently, she finished third--beaten just 1 1/2 lengths--in defense of...

The same week that Juddmonte Farms' owner and founder Khalid Abdullah passed away, the legendary outfit has a chance to take a step toward its long-sought first GI Kentucky Derby win when undefeated 'TDN Rising Star' Mandaloun (Into Mischief) goes postward as a likely favorite in the GIII Lecomte S. Saturday at Fair Grounds. The race kicks off the Louisiana oval's three-race Derby prep schedule, to be followed by the GII Risen Star S. and GII Louisiana Derby. Hammered down to 11-10 favoritism debuting Oct. 24 at Keeneland, the homebred...

5th-Laurel, $48,520, Msw, 12-12, 2yo, 1m, 1:38.31, ft, 12 1/4 lengths. MANOR HOUSE (c, 2, Upstart--Cascina, by Dixie Union) could scarcely have been more impressive making his debut over Laurel's one-turn mile Saturday, as he drew off through the final furlong to graduate by 12 1/4 lengths. The Florida-bred was away to an uneventful beginning from the two hole and made the lead with a minimum of fuss, covering the opening half in :47.50 while taking mild pressure. He began to widen approaching the quarter pole, kicked farther in front...

Lightly raced Princess Grace handled the main track best of this turf-meant group to make the grade in only her fourth lifetime start. A 5 1/2-length debut romper on the Colonial sod and over a next-out winner Aug. 2, the Moore homebred cleared her first-level allowance condition at Monmouth Sept. 5. She had last been seen splitting Stunning Sky (Declaration of War) and How Ironic when second in the GIII Pin Oak Valley View S. at Keeneland Oct. 16. Prompting the pace from second among a strung-out field, the dark...

When Lorna Chavez moved from England to the United States in 1995, the land of abundance had a surfeit of skilled participants willing and able to don helmet and boot and join the nation's ranks of exercise riders. "I started in Delaware," said Chavez, a former jockey, of her time as an exercise rider for Hall of Fame trainer Jonathan Sheppard. But that was a quarter-century ago. "Now, there aren't enough riders around," she said. "Especially good ones." And that means busy racetracks of a morning are increasingly populated with...

Ny Traffic (Cross Traffic) was named likely to make the line-up for Saturday's GI Preakness S. at Pimlico following a four-furlong work in :48 flat (2/88) at Churchill Downs Sunday. "Most likely he's going to go, but tomorrow we'll make the decision," trainer Saffie Joseph, Jr. said. "We were very happy with the work." Ny Traffic came up a nose short of Authentic (Into Mischief) when second in the July 18 GI TVG.com Haskell S. Sunday's work was his first since finishing eighth behind that rival in the Sept. 5...

4th-Delaware, $41,225, Msw, 8-26, 2yo, 6f, 1:11.85, ft. TATE (c, 2, Quality Road--Collective, by Bernardini), the 2-1 second choice in this debut, was hustled from the gate to keep pace with the early leaders before settling just off the pacesetters in third. He split foes at the top of the lane, charged to the lead with a furlong to run and stormed clear to graduate by seven lengths. Plamen (Curlin) was second. Tate is a half-brother to Shared Sense (Street Sense), GSW, $327,745. Collective produced a colt by Hard Spun...

South Bend (Algorithms), purchased privately by a partnership group that includes Gary Barber, Adam Wachtel, Peter Deutsch and Leonard Schleifer of Pantofel Stable following a runner-up effort in the June 27 GIII Ohio Derby, could make his first start for the new connections in the Aug. 8 GI Runhappy Travers S. "We're leaning toward the Travers," confirmed the colt's new trainer Bill Mott. "The partnership group wants to have a good look at that. He'll work probably the first part of the week." Previously campaigned by Sagamore Farm and trainer...

5th-SAR, $62K, Msw, (S), 2yo, f, 5 1/2f, 3:28 p.m. ET SAMBORELLA (Outwork), the most expensive of 66 yearlings to change hands from the first crop of her sire when bringing $500,000 from Gold Square, It's All About The Girls Stable, Paul Braverman, Fortune Farm and Harlow Stables at the Fasig-Tipton Saratoga New York-bred Yearling Sale, debuts for Jeremiah Englehart. Produced by an unraced daughter of Tiznow, the bay is a half-sister to Bye Bye Hong Kong (Street Sense), SW & GSP-Eng; and last year's GIII Pilgrim S. third Our...

4th-TAM, $20k, Msw, 3yo, 6f, 2:30 p.m. ET BRANCO MARIA (Candy Ride {Arg}) faces seven rivals in this unveiling for trainer Mike Stidham. The sophomore, a $385,000 FTSAUG yearling purchase by Phoenix Thoroughbred III, worked five furlongs in 1:01 1/5 (3/7) at Tampa Bay Downs May 7. The son of two-time Canadian stakes winner Heidi Maria (Rockport Harbor) hails from the extended female family of 'TDN Rising Star' Sweet Whiskey (Old Fashioned), heroine of the 2014 GIII Old Hat S. and runner-up in the GI TVG Acorn S. TJCIS PPs

8th-TAM, $20K, Msw, 3yo, 1mT, post time: 4:30 p.m. ET Frank Calabrese homebred BIG DREAMING (Declaration of War) makes his debut for conditioner Mike Stidham here. He will be the sixth foal to race out of 2006's champion 2-year-old filly Dreaming of Anna (Rahy), who is already responsible for GSW Dreamologist (Tapit); speedy GISP young sire Fast Anna (Medaglia d'Oro); and SP All Her Class (Street Cry {Ire}), who in turn produced turf SW and dirt GISP With Honors (War Front). Out of MSW and GSP Justenuffheart (Broad Brush), Dreaming...